Designated Survivor‘s Production Designer on Creating a Dystopian D.C.
Production designer Cabot McMullen has created the settings for television series from Saturday Night Live to Scrubs, Smash, and Cougar Town. Before the audience hears a line of dialog, sometimes before they even see a character, McMullen has to let us know immediately what world we are in. That is not just identifying the story as gritty reality or heightened humor or fantasy;
Designated Survivor Premieres on ABC
The conceit for Designated Survivor is a chilling one, especially in a time of ambient anxiety over of terrorism. A low-level cabinet member named Tom Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) is whiling away the 90 minutes or so while the president is giving his State of the Union Address in a secure location, serving as the country's "designated survivor." In the unlikely event that something happens during the State of the Union and, say,
